Archives: Atlas Obscuras

El Tepozteco

Discover El Tepozteco in Tepoztlán, Mexico: High atop a Mexican rainforest mountain, this ancient pyramid once drew pilgrims countries away.

Chapultepec Castle

Discover Chapultepec Castle in Mexico City, Mexico: The only castle in North America to ever house European sovereigns.

Fuente de Tláloc

Discover Fuente de Tláloc in Mexico City, Mexico: Diego Rivera's massive tiled fountain and failed infrastructure project.

El Caracol

Discover El Caracol in Chichen Itza, Mexico: No telescopes, no power, no gift shop: The Observatory of Chichen Itza, one of the world's oldest observatories, takes astronomy back to basics.

The Great Pyramid of Cholula

Discover The Great Pyramid of Cholula in San Andrés Cholula, Mexico: An Aztec temple, the largest man-made pyramid in the world, sits buried in earth with a Spanish church set on top.

Museo del Juguete Antiguo México

Discover Museo del Juguete Antiguo México in Mexico City, Mexico: Visiting this cacophonous collection of vintage novelties is like stepping into the mind of a crazed toymaker.

The Mummies at Museo de El Carmen

Discover The Mummies at Museo de El Carmen in Mexico City, Mexico: Twelve natural mummies are displayed in the crypt of this former monastery school.

Las Pozas

Discover Las Pozas in Xilitla, Mexico: Extraordinary sculpture garden created by an eccentric English poet.

Soumaya Museum

Discover Soumaya Museum in Mexico City, Mexico: 66,000 pieces of art, donated by one of the world's richest men.

Cenote Xkeken

According to Maya tradition, the gates to the beyond lay in cenotes. Just a few kilometers from Valladolid in the Yucatan Peninsula, the landscape is dotted with natural sinkholes, leading straight down into the earth. Unlike their unsightly name, the s…

Biblioteca Vasconcelos

Discover Biblioteca Vasconcelos in Mexico City, Mexico: A jaw-dropping "megalibrary" that turns book-browsing into a geometric adventure.

Mercado de Sonora

Discover Mercado de Sonora in Mexico City, Mexico: Superstitious? Discover the witchy side of Mexico through its largest esoteric market.

El Nido de Quetzalcóatl

Discover El Nido de Quetzalcóatl in Naucalpan, Mexico: An Aztec snake god has taken the material form of an apartment complex.

La Casa Azul

Discover La Casa Azul in Mexico City, Mexico: Frida Kahlo's childhood home, now a museum of her life and works.

Cafebrería El Péndulo

Discover Cafebrería El Péndulo in Mexico City, Mexico: Part bookstore, part café, and part forest.

Hidden Beach

Discover Hidden Beach in Islas Marietas, Mexico: A lovers' beach, tucked below the surface of the island, provides a safe haven for romance.

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i
To represent a masterpiece of human creative genius. 261 ii
To exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design. 480 iii
To bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared. 514 iv
To be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history. 642 ix
To be outstanding examples representing significant on-going ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and marine ecosystems and communities of plants and animals. 137 v
To be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use which is representative of a culture (or cultures), or human interaction with the environment especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change. 172 vi
To be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance. (The Committee considers that this criterion should preferably be used in conjunction with other criteria). 256 vii
To contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance. 151 viii
To be outstanding examples representing major stages of earth's history, including the record of life, significant on-going geological processes in the development of landforms, or significant geomorphic or physiographic features. 98 x
To contain the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation. 168

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